1:0 (114:113)
Por-Nash + Cal-SLC + Start vs LA-NY + Dul-ElP (NY-Atl discarded)
Close thing, but easy to calculate for Néo who ended the game, because my 2 Tics were obvious and I didn't get a 4th red to make 7 instead of 4 points at the end.

1,5:1,5 (120:120)
Dul-Hou + Chi-SFe + Start vs Van-Mon + Van-SFe (Tor-Mia discarded)
A hard job for me to come from coast to coast via 5 red and 4 blue, but it seemed to work ... until Néo found Chi-NO drawing in the last turn - There were even bigger ones to draw for him - so everything was possible ... Tie!

1,5:2,5 (92:120)
Sea-NY + Mon-NO vs Win-Hou + Tor-Mia + Start (NY-Atl discarded)
I had all the colours I needed to make a fast northern track from coast to coast and down in the east.

2,5:2,5 (108:68)
Van-SFe + Den-ElP + Start vs Van-Mon + Cal-Pho (Dul-ElP discarded)
Tried to fake having both 13s going to SFe ... the problem was that Néo had Van-SFe himself ^^ ... Néo was fast enough and at last I "died" in the last round having 3 purple, 2 black and 2 locos ... only 5 blacks away from Mon.

2,5:3,5 (106:114)
Cal-Pho + Dul-ElP vs Por-Pho + Cal-SLC + Start (Dal-NY discarded)
Again a hard and close fight in the Northwest. Start gave me the advantage being faster at the end.

Thanks Néo for very nice, close and interesting games and good luck in the next rounds.

decider: longest - my mistake was to be sure about david having 5 yellow in the end for his longest to Paso as I only had 4 and he just played 2 before, so I spoiled my longest with 6 blue - but he overdrew to build a loop via New York, with a 4er left in the hand, I'd lose by 2 and therefor took cards, searching for Sea-LA or LA-Chi and found 17+17+20

decider: whole situation - a game lost long before the first train touched the map, even with perfect colours it would have been extremely hard against start + a combo this fast - btw 2 locos, 2 black, 1 orange, 3 purple are far away being perfect, so annoying his route (useless of course) and shutting NY (last try with a biggie blocked) looked like a mayhem strategy I guess...anyways

decider: longest, rather opening sequence with 6 black - not only first time I got the black route I needed, also first time I had enough black to gain them (in game 1 david played black for 6 grey+5er), so david was forced to claim a central route via Chi and then southwards the east coast, but even 41 in tix weren't enough due to his track points

This one really hurts! decider: track points... erm, colours - hard to gain a good route to Houston with 1 loco, 3 green, 4 black, of course it could have been worse as 8 red helped a lot to balance green missing - no chance for me to get more 6ers than ora+whi or block anything, I was happy to finally get my tix done and so 104 track points (81 me) were enough for david to win by 2 even with only one tic fulfilled and without longest

decider: longest, rather opening sequence with 6 yellow - after 2 turns (yellow-orange-red on grey-white) the both of us were aware of the biggie situation, so I couldn't reach Sea as he had probs with Mon, I took a looong time at the end to decide either to go to Paso within 2 turns (with the chance for david to reach Mon via NY) or finish the game with both tix undone - I decided for the last one (and he had the colours for his detour), but unfortunately he also had colours for a final 5er, so my last chance was to search for the only tic on my route and I failed

decider: early unintended block, rather opening sequence with 6 yellow again - david played 6 yellow very early, only 2 or 3 in my hand that time, I took white and of course having Van-Fe he shuts the door to build his loop - in the end I took cards and luckily found the other biggie but that wasn't enough - surprisingly david also took cards then (no idea why, as I had 4 tix on my route and only would win with 3 of them including 22, maybe he did as he had 8 tix on his route) and found Den-Paso - he also would have won with -21 btw

I'm not a big fan of complaining (you can watch the professionals in this discipline nearly every evening if you want), but I can't help doing it by stating I was "a bit less lucky" than my opponent this match. Nevertheless it was a well deserved win as david gained the big ones early when necessary, surprisingly mostly 6 yellow while 6 orange were nearly meaningless the whole match.

1st game. I have LANY KCHOU with longest but -5. I tied the game by drawing -11 in the last turn. If he had 3 tickets done he was winning, if he had a ticket dead, I thought I had a margin large enough. Alas, I found only big ones, and he had -4 only. Grrr

2nd game. I have DulHou Chi Fe vs SF ATL Dul Pas.
I start 6 black, he 3 to Paso then 3 la Phoe and 3 SF Phoe. I play 6 green, then 6 orange. I connect with more track points, he's slow but has longest. Board points are enough.

4th game. Den Pitt Den Paso vs Chi Fe SSM Oak.
I have good colors but a bit slow. We share longest on his start, I have more track points.

5th game Win hou Den Paso vs Tor Mi SSM Nash
1 red in the middle is not ideal but my tickets are better and colors blind were nice to me

6th game I have Cal Phoe Dul Paso vs SFAtl Win Hou
I do not have many orange or yellow but good tickets. I start 6 black, he Ho No. I killed SF but he's still going ok in the middle. He has longest, but -17 is a killer.

Some unexpected win with a ticket lost at azurri side(game 1, 3 tickets both),
some very lucky draw (game 2, only one ticket for the win and I find it), some good block (game 3, 99:21 ), and 3 last games with good feelings, combo and colors.

So I confirm my question : how can players have told that maf was playing fast only to win the game against a bot ? He did'nt need the longest to win, this game was for him (excepted with a block) (and he isn't a newbie, he knows that playing a bot never gives a win !).